Many Indians visiting Israel and the occupied Palestinian Territory have been using it as an opportunity to settle and find jobs in Israel, Middle East Eye reported.
At least a dozen residents of Kerala are said to have disappeared while taking part in these pilgrimage journeys since March 2023. The missing people are believed to have looked for asylum or job prospects in Israel.
The Indian embassy in Tel Aviv estimates that as of February 2023, there are about 18,000 Indian citizens living and working in Israel, a large percentage of whom are employed as caretakers for elderly Israelis.
A worker of Kav LaOved caregiver department said, “Some people may come to Israel as tourists or pilgrims and stay and work illegally, it’s not only specific to Indians.”
A caregiver worker from Kerala, Borgian Solomon, who visited Israel in 2008, said that the pilgrims usually visit Israel on a B2 single-entry visa, which is valid for three months, then overstay their visas while seeking work opportunities.
An associate professor of history at the University of Hyderabad, who focuses on transnational migrations from Kerala, claims that Israel is becoming a more popular destination for immigration for various reasons. He also points out that Israel is not included on India’s list of countries for which an emigration check is required (ECR).
An Israel Studies researcher at the University of Haifa, Suraj Rajan Kadanthodu, focusing on Indian Jewish communities, said those who seek asylum from Kerala usually belong to the Christian community. He pointed out that this phenomenon is relatively uncommon among Muslims, and the trend has undergone a change since March 2023.
On July 30, 2023, seven persons of a 38-member group from Kerala that went into Israel under the supervision of Green Oasis Tours and Travels and disappeared in Jerusalem.
On March 7, reports surfaced regarding the disappearance of four Muslim commuters, including a woman, from Kerala during a tour in Israel. The people were all above 50 years of age.
Before these incidents, 50 fishermen from Kerala were tricked into travelling to Israel in 2010 in the hopes of finding work there, but instead found themselves imprisoned there before being sent back since they could not show proof of current permits.
Multiple travel groups told Kerala media that they lost people in Israel near eateries where there were no security cameras.
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